Electric switch.



No. 703,55. I Patented lu ly I, I902.

/ A. P. ANDERSON.

ELECTRIC SWITCH. (Application and June a, 1901.

(Io-lodel.)

Witnesses. v 7 Inventor. aw M j- Attoi-neyS,

, U'NrrED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW P. ANDERSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN DAHLGREN, OF NEV YORK, N. Y. t

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent-N 0. 703,51 5, dated July 1, 1902.

Application filed June 6, 1901. Serial No. 63,361. (No model.)

To whom it may co toc'rm v the inner locking movement of nut 3 is lim- Be it known thatI, ANDREW P. ANDERSON, ited. The head of bolt 2 is flanged or turned residing at New York, in the county of New over, as at 6, thereby forming between said York and State of New York, have invented flange and the shank of the bolt an annular 55 5 certainnewand usefullmprovementsin Elecgroove or recess, .within which is located a trio Switches, of which the following is a full, spiral spring 7, one end of which bears against clear, and exact description, such as will enthe inner side of the head of the bolt and the able others skilled-in the art to which it apperother endagainst the adjacent standard 1 or tains to make and use the same. against awasher, ifsuch is used. The knives 60 to My invention relates to electric switchesofy or blades 8 8 are pivoted between standards the oscillating mechanical output type; and 1 1 upon the bolt 2, and said knives are conan object of my improvement is to provide a nected by bridges 9 and 10 of suitable insurnounting for the contact knives or blades of lating material, the bridge 9 connecting the such a switch whereby good contact at all outer ends of the knivesand the bridge lOcon- 65 times is insured and the knives will be held necting them intermediate of their lengths. in any position in which they may be placed, The handle 11 has shank 12, which passes thereby preventing an accidentalthrowing of through both of these bridges and is held in the switch. position by screw 13 or other ineans,as desired.

My invention consists, further, in certain The operation isin general likethatofother 7o features of construction and combinations of switches of this class. When the knives are elements, as will be fully set forth hereinafter thrown down by the handle 11 between the and the novelfeatures of whichwill be pointed anvils O O, the, circuit is closed, and when out in the claims at the end of this'specificathey are thrown up it is broken. The adtion. vantages of my structure result in the first 75 In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of place from the second bridge 10, which, in my improved switch. Fig. 2 is .a side elevaconjunction with bridge 9 and the shank 12, tion thereof, showingin dotted lines the switch passing through both bridges, forms a strong in open position Fig. 3 is asection takenon and rigid framework, whereby buckling of the line 0: 00, Fig. 1. the knives is prevented at a point between 80 Similar characters refer to similar parts the pivots thereof and the anvils. Such throughout the several views. buckling is often liable to occur in a con- A is an insulating base-plate; B B, leadingstruction of this class wherein a single bridge in binding-posts; C O, contact-springs or an,- is used, and it will be readily seen that such vils, and D D represent generally supportbuckling will prevent the free movement of 85 ing-uprights for the contact-knives. These theknives between the anvils O. This departs are of the usual and well-known confeet is entirely done away with by my con struction. struction.

It will be understood that the anvils C and In the usual construction, wherein a nut the supporting-uprights D are of slightly-reupona'pivot-boltis alone relied upon to force e 40 silient conducting material. Each up'rightD together the two standards between which is made up of two standards 1 1, supported the knives are held, if good contact is to be upon a suitable base having a binding-post secured such nutmust be turned on verytight. thereon. Through said standards 1 1 passes- This necessitates a strong pull upon the hanthe bolt 2, having the end of its shank screw- -dle in order to throw the switch, and'friction 9 5 threaded for the reception ofthelocking-nut and strain between the various parts result. 3, which may be turned on to clamp the On the other hand,if the nut isleft compara standards together in the usual way. Washtivelyloose, so that the knives move easily be ers 4 4 may be interposed, if desired. At the tween the standards, contact secured between point where the screw-threads of the shank the knives and standards is not so good, and roe or bolt 2 begin said shank is reduced in diif the switch were then left in the position ameter to form an annular shoulder 5,whereby shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 it could be easily jarred down therefrom and accidental contact ensue. My provision of a shoulder upon the pivot-bolt, so that the clamping movement of the nut is limited, and the provision of a spring for forcing the two standards together to grip the contact-knife yieldingly thercbetween result in a structure having these further advantages that good contact is insured between the parts, a comparatively small amount of force is needed to throw the switch, so that there is no friction or strain between the parts, and yet the grip of the standards upon the knives is such that the switch will be held in any position in which it may be left, as in the dotted-line position shown in Fig. 2, without danger of an accidental closing of the circuit.

It will be obvious that the spring might be located either, as shown, between the head of the bolt and its adjacent standard or between the nut and its adjacent standard. So far as the location of the spring is concerned either end of the bolt may be considered the head, and where in the claims I use the term head of the bolt I intend such term in its broadest acceptation. The provision of a flange to form a housing for the spring provides a construction such that the spring is kept free from dirt and is out of the way and provides in general a more compact, workmanlike, durable, and eificient structure.

It will be obvious that the construction shown in Fig. 3 may be applied to one or both of the uprights of any given switch, such as that shown in Fig. 1, that the screw-threaded nut upon the end of the bolt may be dispensed with, a washer and locking-pin taking its place, the spring alone being depended upon for adjusting the pressure of the stand ards upon the knife, and that various changes in minor details may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an electric switch, in combination, a contact-knife, a standard upon which said knife is pivotally mounted upon a bolt passing through said standard, an inwardly-extending flange upon the head of said bolt, a spring located in the recess formed by said flange and adapted to hold the knife yieldingly to its standard and a nut for said bolt.

2. In an electric switch, in combination, the supporting-standards l, 1, the bolt 2 having its head flanged at 6, spring 7 located in the recess formed by said flange and adapted to bear against one of said standards, nut 3 for said bolt, a contact-knife pivoted upon said bolt between said standards, and an anvil C, or other contact means, substantially as described.

3. In an electric switch, in combination, the supporting-standards 1 1, the bolt 2 having its head flanged at 6 and having a shoulder 5, a nut 3 adapted to bear against the shoulder 5 upon said bolt, spring 7 located in the recess formed by said flange 6 and adapted to bear against one of said standards, a contactkuife pivoted upon said bolt between said standards, and an anvil O or other contact means, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ANDRE W P. ANDERSON.

\Vitnesses:

II. M. SEAMANS, I. V. SCOTT. 

